2 Lady Luck Runs Out (13 page)

"There you are, Darling," Bernard said, patting her hand. "Remember the fortune teller from our last party, Rose Faraday? This is her son, Zach, and his date, Darwin Winters." His eyes glittered as he smiled at the woman. "This lovely creature is Nova Diaz."

Nova Diaz slipped her mask off to reveal flawless caramel skin and held out her hand to us. A gold band in the shape of a snake wrapped around her upper arm, two fairly large diamond eyes staring at me from the snake's head.  Despite her beauty there was an edge to Ms. Diaz, an almost predatory intelligence that didn't usually come with arm candy.

"Nice to meet you." She spoke to Zach without a hint of a smile. "So sorry for your loss, Mr. Faraday. We were just stunned to hear of her passing."

I tried to read her emotions. There was no regret or empathy coming off of her. She didn't seem very sorry.

"I was telling Zach how impressed we all were with his mother's talent," Bernard continued. "She was an amazing woman."

"Yes. She was dead on with my reading," Nova said under her breath.

I glanced at Zach but he didn't appear to have heard her.

As Bernard Grayson talked on about Rose, I concentrated on Nova. Every now and then, I would feel something coming off of her, but she was obviously very practiced at keeping her guard up. Despite her cool outer appearance and flirty laughter, something darker occasionally slipped through her guard. Anger, maybe? Fear? I could never tell the difference between the two. They both felt like zillions of tiny pinpricks.

 I mentally jumped back into the conversation when Bernard mentioned how they had met at a reptile convention in Tampa.

"Reptile convention?" Zach asked, also perking up.

Bernard nodded, puffing on his cigar. "I know it's hard to believe, considering what happened to your mother, but snakes really do make wonderful pets."  

"And you have a pet snake?" I asked Nova.

"Yes, I actually have three at home now, two pythons and my newest gift from Bernard, a baby rainbow boa." She squeezed Bernard's arm affectionately. "Bernard has taught me so much about them. When we met I was just a curious novice. They really are like potato chips, you can't stop at one."

Bernard chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "Such passion, this one. And so true."

"How many do you have?" I asked Bernard.

"Well, let's see. Currently I have three green tree vipers and a Jararaca, which are all poisonous, and nineteen Brazilian rainbow boas which are not. Magnificent creatures. I'm a bit obsessed with them. They absolutely sparkle in the sunlight. I'm just a sucker for sparkle," he said, grinning and sliding his hand up Nova's arm.

"Do you buy them directly from Brazil?" I wanted to ask him if he had any rattlers, but that would have been too obvious.

He turned his eyes on me. "Yes, I do, actually. I like to see what I'm buying, not order something from a picture over the internet. I suppose that makes me eccentric."

Nova shot me a dark look then pulled Bernard's attention back to her. "And I'm a sucker for eccentric," she cooed.

What in heaven's name was that all about?
I watched them together. They just didn't seem to fit. Nova wasn't on the list of people with a license to have dangerous reptiles either, but maybe she lived out of the area? Or felt like she was above the law.

"Darwin!" A familiar voice rang out from behind Bernard. He turned and I saw him extend his hand.

"Frankie, hello." It was good to see a familiar face. We hugged and I checked out her plum colored sequined gown. It clashed monumentally with her red hair, but somehow worked for her. "You look amazing. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Jack and Bernard are golfing buddies. You remember Jack, right?"

"Of course, hi, Jack." I waved.
He sure did get around.
He and Bernard were laughing about something. Jack waved back and then squeezed Bernard's shoulder.

"Darwin." He sidled up next to Frankie and held out his hand to me. "Good to see you again. You look smashing!"

"Thank you." I shook his hand.

Frankie was staring curiously at Zach. "You're Zach Faraday, right? The psychic from Landon's Halloween bash?" Her eyes flicked to me, filling with questions.

"Yes. That's right." Zach downed the last of his martini.

"Oh, you're psychic, too?" Bernard showed a mouthful of bleached choppers. "I guess it runs in the family." His eyes moved to Nova. "How 'bout that, Sweetheart?"

"Interesting," she said coolly.

Frankie moved closer to me and whispered, "What are you doing here with Zach, Darlin'? Where's Will?"

"Long story," I whispered back. "Fill you in later."

By the time Mallory and I slid back into a cab it was after one in the morning. My exhausted brain felt like a rock in my skull, but I did know one thing. I had some new people to add to my suspect list.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Saturday morning I called and scheduled an appointment with Lucky's vet since Zach had dug up her number for me. Turns out she was due for a rabies vaccine. Then I called Will. No answer. I knew he wasn't working, which meant he just didn't want to talk to me.

Sulking, I made a cup of tea and went outside to join Mallory and Lucky on the balcony. Mallory was strumming her guitar, lost in thought. Lucky was curled in a tight ball in the chair beside her.

"Morning, Mal." I slid Lucky over to join her on the chair. She meowed in protest. "Hey, kitty, it's my chair," I answered.

"Good morning." Mallory kept her eyes fixed on the park. "So, what do you think Zach Faraday's deal is? He's so creepy. And how does he know about Father?"

Seemed Zach Faraday had her hackles up, too. I stroked Lucky's side as she settled back down in my lap. It was the first time she had actually relaxed on me. I tried not to move and disturb her. "I don't know what to think about him, and I have no idea how he knows about Father. I definitely don't trust him, though."

Mallory rolled her head lazily to gaze at me. "He likes you, you know."

I frowned as I thought about what happened while we were dancing, the way he touched my face. "He might. But like I said, I don't trust him. There's something dark and secretive about him."

"And dangerous," Mallory added, strumming her guitar lightly.

"Yeah, and dangerous," I agreed. "Speaking of creepy, Bernard Grayson and his friends are really into snakes. Did you find out anything about the boa, Marsha?"

"Not much. Sammy said they've had her for about a month, and she eats the same thing as the other snakes. Frozen rats and mice. What kind of vision did you have?"

"It wasn't a vision this time. It was a really bad stomach pain."

"A snake with a stomachache?" Mallory's face scrunched up. "Maybe she ate a bad rat."

"I don't know if that's possible." I shrugged. "I guess I can ask the vet when I take Lucky in on Tuesday." I laid my head back and stared up at the baby blue sky full of wispy clouds. "It can't be a coincidence that Rose Faraday was at the Grayson house just a week before her death by snake bite. And Bernard Grayson is so into snakes. There has to be a connection there."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Tuesday morning, I left Sylvia and Mallory to mind the pet boutique while Lucky and I took a cab to the Beachside Animal Clinic.

I checked us in and waited in the plastic chairs, reading all the posters on the walls about heartworms, ticks and other unseemly dangers to pets in Florida. Seems like everything in this state wanted to feed on you.

"Miss Winters?" A woman in Scooby Doo scrubs called to me. "We're ready to see Lucky."

She led us to a small room with a metal examination table and more scary posters. I hefted the carrier up onto the table and peered in at Lucky. "Don't be scared, you know this place, right?" She just stared at me suspiciously. At least her ears weren't back.

"Hello." The vet entered. She wore a white lab coat over her trim figure, her blonde hair swaying in a neat, chin-length bob. She held out a hand to me. "I'm Dr. Brown."

I shook her offered hand. "Darwin Winters. Nice to meet you."

"Hey there, Lucky." She unlatched the pet carrier door. "We wondered what happened to you." She pulled Lucky gently from the carrier and let her stretch on the table. "We heard about Rose and were just shocked. You never think such a thing can happen in the safety of your own home." A dark cloud passed over her face and she shook it off, stroking Lucky as the cat began to purr. "At least she's unharmed. So, did you adopt her, Darwin?"

"Well, she sort of adopted me and my sister. We found her the night Rose's body was discovered.  She had apparently been frightened by the snake and escaped through a tear in the lanai screen."

Dr. Brown shook her head. "Good thing. Saved her own life."

"Yeah, but she does seem traumatized. She won't walk on the floor at all. She gets around the house by jumping on the furniture and counters. Do you think she'll ever recover?"

Dr. Brown watched Lucky thoughtfully. "Cats really don't like change and they do feel stress and separation anxiety. Losing her home and caretaker is a huge change. She may recover after having a stable environment again but it's hard to predict." She ran a hand over Lucky's back and tail. "Not shedding excessively. That's good. My suggestion would be just try to give her a stable routine, lots of affection and playtime. And just good old fashion time."

"No magic pill, huh?" I sighed. 

"Afraid not." Dr. Brown gave me a consoling smile and then turned her attention back to Lucky. "Okay, little girl, let's get you caught up on your rabies shot." The vet tech came over to help hold Lucky while Dr. Brown got the shot ready. "I think she's due for heartworm medication, also."

"Okay. Oh, also I wasn't sure what kind of food she's been on. Do you know? She seems to like tuna."

Dimples appeared when Dr. Brown smiled, which made her look too young to be a doctor. "Rose actually had her on lower calorie kibble mixed with some wet food.  We sell it here. I'll have Carrie get that for you when you check out."

"Thanks." I busied myself looking at the photos on the wall above the counter as they gave Lucky her shot. Two little blonde girls in braids were smiling from each frame. "Precious little girls."

Dr. Brown scratched Lucky's head, while the vet tech whispered to her. "All done. What a good girl."

Dr. Brown glanced up at the photos I was referring to. "Thank you. Sidney's four and Sasha's six. They grow up so fast." She sighed, but a hint of a smile remained on her lips. "All right. We're all set here. I'm sure Rose would appreciate you taking such good care of Lucky. She really adored this cat." She helped coax Lucky back into the carrier. "I'd keep her indoors this time of year. Halloween is very unlucky for black cats. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"Oh, yes, actually I do, but it's not about Lucky. I was wondering, is it possible for a snake to get food poisoning?"

I had expected her to laugh or give me a strange look but she did neither. Instead, she became very still. "Why do you ask?"

Yes, why do I ask?
"I, um, have a friend with a snake and he seems to think the snake is in pain, in the stomach. He's not eating. The snake, not my friend." I pressed my lips closed to keep from babbling anymore. Dr. Brown's demeanor had gone cold.

"Well, there are things that could be wrong," she said cautiously. "Constipation for one. Internal bacterial infections, parasites. The best thing to do is have your friend bring him in for a check-up."

"Okay, thank you. I appreciate the information." I was suddenly talking to her back as she exited the room. I shrugged. She must not be a big fan of snakes. I grabbed Lucky and carried her out to the counter to pay the bill and get her food and medication.

On the way out the door, I ran smack into Bernard's girlfriend as she was coming in.

I stuttered out an apology. "So sorry! Oh, Nova Diaz, right?"

She seemed taken aback. Her eyes widened a bit under a black ball cap. "Yes?"

"Darwin Winters. We met at Bernard's Masquerade Ball."

 "Oh yes." Her gaze slid behind me and then down at the carrier. "The Masquerade Ball," she said, obviously distracted.

"This is Rose Faraday's cat, Lucky," I offered. "The fortune teller who was killed by the rattlesnake? She's sort of adopted me and my sister." Nova didn't say anything. She just stared at me. I could see something running through her mind as her expression darkened. I was holding the door open, and Lucky was growing heavier by the second. The silence was growing heavy, too. This was getting uncomfortable.

I cleared my throat. "Well, it was good to see you again." As I moved to push past her, she grabbed me. Her fingers dug into my arm.

"Miss Winters."

I lifted my gaze to hers, my heart suddenly hammering in my chest. "Yes?"

Her face was stone. "You and Zachary need to be careful. There are some things just better left alone."

Stunned, I just stood there like an idiot as I watched the door close behind her.

Did she just threaten me and Zach?

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next morning kept us pretty busy. The bells over the door were a steady background noise as customers came and went. At the table by the front window, the regulars sat with their dogs on their laps. I kept the table stocked with tea and snacks, for the humans and the pets. The buzz of conversation added to the hum of background noise in the boutique.

"Is getting
muita demente
in here, no?" Sylvia said with a grin, as she checked her next appointment time on the computer.

I laughed. "Very crazy, but in a good way." Mallory staggered over and plopped an armload of merchandise down on the counter. "This is for Mrs. Thornsbury." She raised an eyebrow. Her face was flushed and sweat darkened the hair around her face. "She's still shopping," she growled.

Sylvia chuckled and buttoned up the white coat she wore over a sleek flowered dress. "Okay. Just send Mr. Bojangles back when he gets here."